Asheville, N.C.—The Niagara baseball team closed out the first series of their spring break road trip on Sunday as they fell to the UNC-Asheville Bulldogs 11-8.
How it Happened
The Bulldog bats picked up where they left off on Saturday as they pushed across two runs in the top of the first inning.
Asheville jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings as they added three more runs in the bottom of the second.
In the bottom of the third, the Bulldogs scored two more runs to make it 7-0.
Niagara responded in the top of the fourth. Eric Ratazcak doubled to right center and then was driven in by Matt Ward just two pitches later. With a runner on first and no outs, Gavin Schrader homered to center to make it a 7-3 game.
UNC-Asheville extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning as they scored four runs on three hits to take an 11-3 lead.
Niagara looked for a comeback in the top of the ninth as Kelly Corl reached on an error to start the inning. Vincent Mauro stepped in and doubled to left field that put runners on second and third with no outs. Rees Kozar then drove in Corl from third with a groundout. Matt Torresan came to the plate and worked a 3-2 count. On the 3-2 pitch he doubled to left field to bring home Mauro to make it an 11-5 game. Two pitches later, Nick Groves pulled one down the right field line to switch spots with Torresan with an RBI double. Brady Desjardins then came to the plate and singled to center on a 1-0 pitch to bring Groves home to cut it to a 11-6 deficit. After a pitching change, Desjardins advanced to second on a wild pitch. Rataczek singled up the middle to drive in Desjardins to make it 11-8. That would be the closest Niagara would come as the Purple Eagles closed the game with two flyouts.
Niagara Notes
· Groves reached base for the 33rd straight game as he went 2-5 with a run scored and an RBI.
· Niagara tallied 12 hits in the game, Groves, Rataczek, Ward, and Schrader all had two hits in the game.
· Eight players notched a hit for Niagara.
· The Purple Eagles did not commit an error in the game, it is the fourth time this season that Niagara has not committed an error in the game. Niagara has .966 fielding percentage this season which is the fourth best in the MAAC.
· Noah Richardson pitched 2.1 innings out of the bullpen while striking out five. He did not allow a hit or a run. His ERA this season is 1.00 in 9.0 innings pitched, he has 20 strikeouts which leads the team.
· Schrader hit his second homer of the season and tied for the team lead with Rataczak, Groves, and Tommy Takayoshi.
· Schrader and Rataczak are tied for the team lead with 17 RBI this season.
· Rataczak leads Niagara with a .452 batting average which is second in the MAAC this season.
· The Purple Eagles have six players hitting over .300 that have at least 2 plate appearances per game and have played in 75% of games.
· As a team, Niagara is hitting .307 which leads the MAAC. They also lead the MAAC in runs (113), RBI (107), and hits (145). They also have the least amount of strikeouts in the MAAC.
· The Niagara pitching staff has a 5.45 ERA which I second in the MAAC. They have struck out 117 batters this season which leads the MAAC. Opponents are hitting just .251 against the Purple Eagles which is the lowest opposing average in the MAAC.
Up Next
The Purple Eagles continue their spring break road trip on Tuesday as they travel to Harrisonburg, Va. for a two-game series against James Madison. First pitch on Tuesday is scheduled for 4 PM.
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